This honor is due to what Nevine Allouba has presented over the decades in many aspects of the cultural scene.
The French Medal is generally awarded to brilliant personalities who have presented innovations in the artistic and literary fields, or contributed to the development of arts and letters in France and around the world.
The Egyptian ‘soprano’ told Sky News Arabia that she had won the French Medal for Arts and Letters, saying: “I felt proud and grateful to have been honored and to have been made a knight, and to appreciate the efforts I have made in my artistic life, whether it be singing, teaching, or taking care of young talents and paving the way for them.
Professor of singing at the American University in Cairo, she is considered the first Egyptian soprano to sing on the main stage during the inauguration of the new Cairo Opera House in 1988.
And she recounted the scenes of her singing at the opening of the opera, saying: “Dr Ratiba El-Hefny was the first director of the Egyptian Opera in 1988, and she knew about my career and my studies in Germany She spoke to me about the overture of the opera and that we as young people need to be part of it, indeed she came to Egypt for a full month for rehearsals and singing.
Allouba went to Germany to study opera singing and learned from one of the great teachers there, Entesyn, what marked her personality in terms of punctuality and good study: “I took advantage of this period, we worked long throughout the day and worked hard, sang and learned.” This is what I taught my students afterwards, and it influenced their personality and led many of them to success.
Alouba believes that most distinguished composers have turned to soundtracks, so musical theater has emptied out, unlike the experiments that have sprung up over the past two decades, which were coming to an end quickly, and producers leaving the theater to increase its cost, which affected Egypt. music scene. Who is Nevine Allouba?
She began her artistic career at the age of seven and learned to play the piano in addition to singing. She enters the Conservatoire, where she studies art and lyrical singing, and graduates from the piano department. She holds a doctorate in opera and vocal education from Hannover. She held leading roles in operas in Hanover, Detmold, Essen, Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna, Paris, London, Rome, Dublin, Amman, Cairo and Alexandria. In 2011, she founded the “Fabrika” troupe, which aims to develop the Egyptian contemporary art scene and cultural production. Fabrica focuses on musical theater in Egypt, providing training programs, performance capabilities and community outreach.
The Egyptian soprano, who has interpreted many operas, including “The Khedive”, “The Marriage of Figaro” and “Ghada Al-Kamilia”, created the “Fabrika” troupe, convinced that Egypt is full of great talents, and there must be an entity that helps them and offers them a different singing and art space.
Alouba confirmed in his interview with Sky News Arabia: “When we got to know the public, a number of them asked to learn singing, so we created an academy for them, and a number of people distinguished women have returned from more than one country, and they are now teaching young people the arts of singing and music, so that they can obtain their diploma.
She recently received the Medal of Arts and Letters with the rank of “Knight”:
There are dozens of distinguished singers who have graduated from the academy, and some of them have traveled abroad and are invoked there for major events. She acted in several plays and learned a lot from the artist Samiha Ayoub and the artist Mahmoud Yassin, whom he considered a symbol of generosity, seriousness and discipline. I was offered the role of Umm Kulthum, the lady of Egyptian and Arabic singing, but the case was a great responsibility, because she presents an oriental color, and the color I present is completely different.
The Egyptian soprano chose to present several messages:
To the Minister of Culture, Dr. Nevin Al-Kilani, you are a dear friend, and we expect a lot from you, and I hope that you will be able to resolve the old problems inherited from the past years, and the fact that young people need your support. For serious artists in Egypt, you must believe in your message, because your role is great, and don’t get carried away by the market trying to hook you up to earn a lot without presenting serious and real art. For new students, train well, because seriousness and hard work are the key to achieving dreams. To my children, I hope that you will achieve your dream and be happy in your life, whether in the field of improving animal production which the first chose and became a scientist, or in the field of play which the second chose and obtained the highest diploma in it from Switzerland. My dream is for the academy to grow and become a meeting place for all who seek to learn the arts, to carry the name of Egypt high, and to continue to monitor, help and advise students.
